


It Is The Clock's Pendulum

by FirebirdsDaughter



Category: Kamen Rider Zi-O
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Original Character Death(s), XD, also I just randomly picked a spelling of Hora/Ora's name bc I couldn't be bothered to look it up, might add more tags later once i figure out what else applies, probably the best way to describe it it's not particularly graphic, should i be posting this before I finish the other one? who knows, too lat enow!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-10-08 22:11:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17394620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FirebirdsDaughter/pseuds/FirebirdsDaughter
Summary: A mysterious being appears that seeks to destroy time itself and return the universe to nothing.Just when things seem lost, however, three more stagers appear and offer their assistance in stopping her.It's a fight for the very existence of everything—and one that will not be won without sacrifice.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. This got into my head a while ago, and I couldn't get it out.  
> Also... Does killing OCs count as Major Character Death?  
> (Quick notes bc I gotta go soon, might add more later)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Who is moving in the distance?  
> - _Gu Cheng_

At 2:24 in the morning, the sky lit up.

A steak of light that blazed brighter than the moon—brighter than the sun, because it lit up everything, blotting out the stars, chasing shadows away.

It only lasted for a minute, though—by 2:25, it was gone, and the world was swallowed again by darkness.

In the blinding contrast, no one saw the the three smaller lights that shimmered along beneath the moon afterwards.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So the pendulum swings, now violently, now slowly…  
> - _William Ralph Inge_

Sougo slept through it.

He was still awakened slightly earlier than usual by a tapping on his window, but when he dragged himself out of bed and slogged over to look, there was nothing there. Eventually, he gave up, and decided to make his way downstairs rather than trying to go back to bed.

He was accosted by his uncle before he even made it all the way downstairs.

“Sougo! Sougo, did you see it?!”

He blinked blearily. “See what?”

“There was this huge flash last night! I was up late working, and the whole world actually looked like daylight for a minute! Was extra dark when it disappeared, too!”

Sliding around his uncle, he squinted about the ground floor for the two more sensible members of the household. He finally found Geiz and Tsukuyomi sitting together at the corner of the table, and both looked up when they heard him come in. He gave them a questioning look, gesturing back toward his uncle—and was surprised when they both nodded. “Wait… Really?”

With a sigh, Tsukuyomi stood up, coming over to hold out her pad, playing the video on it. “It’s being considered a large, abnormal astronomical event. No one can seem to figure out what it was.” She explained as it went—showing, indeed, a minute-long flash of daylight in darkness.

Glancing back to make sure his uncle was distracted, Sougo lowered his voice. “Does it have anything to do with Ouma Zi-O?”

“No.” Was the short reply from Geiz, making Sougo jump because he’d managed to sneak up on his other side while he was distracted.

“That’s part of it.” Tsukuyomi answered. “If it did happen in our timeline, there’s no record of it. So either nothing came of it, or…”

“Or it’s new.”

“Hm? What’s new?” They all jumped when Junichiro appeared over Sougo’s shoulder. When they merely blinked at him, he just shrugged. “Whelp, breakfast is ready when you kids are.” Humming to himself, he sauntered off to the kitchen.

The trio glanced at each other, and then Geiz shrugged. “Breakfast first.” He declared, before moving away as well—in an almost amused tone that made Sougo wonder if the impossible had happened, and Geiz was cracking a joke.

* * *

They’d hidden out in a cave in a forest outside the city. Two of them stood on the crest of the cliff, watching the clouds go by in silence.

Then, “You have a plan?”

“We’ll see. I want to know what we have to work with first.” At that moment, their companion appeared from inside the cave.

“How is it?” One of them asked.

“Bad,” Was the answer. “They were too badly damaged in the last altercation.” There was a brief pause. “If we cannot stop her here, we won’t be able to pursue her to the next timeline.’

‘It will be the end for us, too.”

* * *

Geiz and Tsukuyomi didn’t follow him to school—and it actually felt oddly lonely. He’d gotten used to knowing that he could round a corner and find both of them somewhere nearby. They hadn’t really been watching like hawks, like they had before, either. More just… Hanging out. Tsukuyomi told him to look behind him and stole his food. Geiz scared away some of the school’s few delinquents simply by being himself.

But after the incident, they’d both decided it might be more pressing to investigate—just to see if it really was nothing. They’d promised to call him if they did find something—though Geiz had taken a little cajoling (although Sougo suspected that it had less to do with any animosity, and more pride and even a protective streak)—so he wasn’t worried about missing out, but…

He stopped abruptly, shivering. He’d felt like there was ice running down his spine, like there were pinpricks in the back of his head.

Someone **was** watching him.

Trying not to be too obvious, he scanned the area for the perpetrator. The ‘stranger danger’ sensation had disappeared with Tsukuyomi and Geiz a long time ago, and there was no reason for them to spying on him now—but the alternatives were far from comforting.

After several minutes of inching along and searching, though, he’d found nothing, and was forced to return to a normal pace to avoid being too late for class.

He didn’t see the hooded figure in the grey trench coat behind a tree.

* * *

Tsukuyomi was having no luck whatsoever. Even less than she had been expecting to have—which hadn’t been much at all. But she had yet to find anything unusual, and was beginning to suspect that the incident really was just some sort of freak solar flare or something that would be quickly forgotten. Even going through the calendar of the future wasn’t providing any information—though she already knew that the incident wasn’t covered in the history she knew, she also wasn’t coming up with any other such incidents.

She was taking a break from checking around to do the research, parking herself on one of the benches lining the street, beneath a large tree; when the pad’s screen suddenly flickered, diving into static. Sparks even shot from the edges, making her drop it sharply on the pavement. Eventually, it cooled down, the screen going back to normal, too, and she was able to collect it—only to find the page she had been looking at was suddenly blank.

“What the…?” She tried searching a few more times for the same thing with different phrasing, but with no luck. No related pages, no secondary sources. It was as if the whole incident, which she still distinctly recalled learning about, had ceased to exist.

Her bewilderment was interrupted by a scream.

Shooting to her feet, she cast about for a source—a gaggle of kids burst from a cluster of trees in one of the other green areas dotting the curb, fleeing frantically, expressions terrified. She ran towards where they had come from, quickly pulling out the FaizPhone and setting it in gun mode as she went. Crashing through the foliage, she came up short for a moment when she saw what was going on.

An inhumanely pale woman with short silver hair in a high collared black coat that flared out in the back with a silver circle on the chest, and black pants and boots that all looked a little like armour was advancing on two kids, a black-nailed hand outstretched.

The taller of the pair, a girl, had thrown herself over the smaller child protectively, who was lying deathly still on the grass. “Stay away!” The woman ignored her cry, glowing, light blue lines running across her palm, luminescent strands reaching out, grasping towards the children.

“Leave them alone!” Raising the FaizPhone, Tsukuyomi fired on the lights, and the woman jerked back, shaking her hand like it stung.

Her head snapped about, and Tsukuyomi was quite certain it turned a little further than should have been possible before her body followed it. “You…!” She hissed sourly, swirling around with an eerie, almost boneless grace, towering upward. There was a recognition in her voice that Tsukuyomi didn’t understand—but when the woman abruptly seemed to snap out of reality and then back again right in her face, it didn’t seem like the time. She barely managed to dodge the incoming, claw-like strike, ducking around the woman to get between her and the children, raising the FaizPhone once more, firing multiple shots to gain some space.

When she succeeded in pushing her opponent back a bit, she quickly hit the call button. “Geiz!”

“Tsukuyomi?” Surprise and concern coloured his voice at the urgency in her tone. “You find something?”

“I don’t know if she’s what caused the light!” She answered—a little sharply, because a boot that very suddenly had a blade in the toe had just flown just a hair’s breadth from her face, forcing her to spin away and fire on the woman again, even though her opponent was now merely batting the laser blasts away like flies. “But she’s definitely a problem!”

At that moment, the woman rolled her head around unnaturally again, then let out a piercing shriek that seemed to reach impossible frequencies—enough to make the FaizPhone sputter and short circuit. As the woman straightened up and loomed over them, Tsukuyomi backed up a few steps, still keeping herself between her opponent and the two children.

“… Shit.”

* * *

He started running the moment the call was cut, leaving the phone open to make another call.

He wasn’t thrilled at the idea of informing Zi-O, but it was probably better not to take chances. And besides—they **had** promised. So, pushing away the needling sense of being watched he’d had in favour of the current emergency, he quickly dialled the numbers, flipping his Bike Watch into his hand and summoning it at the same time.

Summoning the bike and getting on it while in motion were things he had done before, one didn’t steal from Ouma Zi-O and get away from it by being slow, so the transition was practically seamless.

Some distance behind him, another followed, wearing a black hood and long coat.

* * *

Sougo’s phone vibrated in his jacket pocket in the middle of class. He got a few odd looks from other students sitting adjacent to him—but most of them already saw him as a little strange anyway, so they mostly just snickered and looked away. He ignored, them, shooting to his feet and declaring he needed to use the restroom, rushing out before the teacher could say no. There was a small chance it was his uncle, but he found that unlikely—and it being Geiz or Tsukuyomi meant it was probably urgent.

Secluding himself in a bathroom stall, he pulled out the phone and hit the talk button. “Hello?”

“Zi-O!” Geiz snarled on the other end, making him jump a little in surprise. He hadn’t been expecting the other Rider to be the first one to contact him. But Geiz’s voice sounded breathless and slightly agitated, so he didn’t interrupt when the other boy continued swiftly, “Tsukuyomi found something that turned out aggressive! I lost contact with her but I’m using the FaizPhone to track the call.” Sougo heard the sound of the Bike Watch in the background. “Use the Hawk Watchdroid!” Geiz snapped, then hung up sharply.

“I don’t need you to tell me…” Sougo muttered, pouting slightly; but he stuffed his phone back into his pocket, starting back towards the classroom, racking his mind for an excuse as he went—it seemed that time was of the essence.

* * *

The woman continued moving closer. Tsukuyomi tried to fire the blaster a few more time, but got only small sparks.

So instead she threw it at the woman’s face.

Her opponent dodged easily, then gave her a disbelieving look that was almost pedestrian. It only bought them a few moments, because soon the woman recovered and started forward again. Turning on her heel, Tsukuyomi threw her body over the kids, trying to shield them with her back. The woman raised her hand again…

Then cried out in pain as something hit her in the shoulder.

She and Tsukuyomi both glanced around for the source, but didn’t find it before two more flashes of light flew over Tsukuyomi’s head towards the woman, who this time twisted unnaturally out of the way, though it was close enough that her jacket began to smoke. Looking backwards, Tsukuyomi saw a flash of white further into the underbrush as the woman made an angry, guttural sound and started forward again—only for another sound to come from the road side.

One Tsukuyomi recognised. “Geiz!” She yelled, to be heard over the bike engine, and they heard it change direction.

The woman turned her head almost all the way around again, then made a clucking sound. “… I have wasted too much time here already.” She hissed, then shuddered upright again before sidestepping sharply—vanishing completely in a split second. With no sign of where she’d gone, Tsukuyomi also searched the trees behind her for the patch of white she’d seen—but whatever it was had disappeared as well.

“Tsukuyomi!” Geiz appeared from the road, expression worried. She crossed back across the grass to meet him. “You alright?”

“I’m fine. She disappeared when she heard you coming.” Then, frowning, she asked, “Did you see anyone else?” He blinked, then shook his head. “There was someone else here—someone stopped her before she could attack again.”

“I didn’t see anyone.”

At that moment, the girl let out a whimper, drawing their attention back to her, making them both hurry over. Tsukuyomi crouched down beside her, touching her shoulder. “Are you alright?”

The girl looked up at her, tears pouring down her face. “My… My brother is…” Tsukuyomi looked down at the child on the ground, and did a double take.

The boy looked like he was mostly turned to stone. Reaching down to feel his hand, though, Tsukuyomi found it was dry and leathery, not rough or hards.

“What the…?” She mumbled, while Geiz stepped around to kneel on the boy’s other side, reaching up to check his neck.

“She… She grabbed him, and…” The girl blubbered, “It looked like… Like she was sucking some sort of… Of **light** out of him, and he started… He started turning like this… So I pulled him away, but…”

“He’s still got a pulse.” Geiz assured them, while Tsukuyomi put an arm around the girl’s shoulders. “It’s weak, but he’s definitely still alive, and it doesn’t seem to be spreading.”

“Guys? What’s going on?” A voice and footsteps alerted them to Sougo’s arrival. He came over to stand by Geiz’s shoulder, reacting when he saw the state the boy was in. “How did…?!”

“Long story.” Tsukuyomi replied. “Right now, I think we need to get him to a hospital.”

Sougo nodded, fumbling with getting his phone out, while Tsukuyomi went back to trying to comfort the girl and Geiz stood up to look around the scene for more clues.

* * *

Some distance away, hidden by the low-hanging branches, a white-clad figure with a hood watched them through the trees.

There was the sound of a twig snapping, and the figure turned to find the black and grey dressed ones. “She’s absorbing more time. It won’t be much longer before she sets her plan in motion again.”

“She’ll be expecting us, this time, too.” Grunted the one dressed in black, arms folded. “It’s going to be even more of a fight than before. And it’s not like we have a great track record.”

The one in grey stepped up to stand beside the one wearing white, tugging the grey hood down. “This time will be different.” Eyes focused on the three teenagers moving about in the clearing seriously. “This time will be different.’

‘Because this time, we have **them**.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our hero, ladies, gentlemen, and otherwise. Sleeps through important stuff like a boss.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Life swings like a pendulum backward and forward between pain and boredom.  
> - _Arthur Schopenhauer_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Placeholder notes for now. I'm tired, it's late, and I need to work tomorrow.

“She definitely wasn’t human.” Tsukuyomi told the other two. They’d elected to return to the shop from the hospital, and had taken over the dining room table to discuss the incident. “She was moving far too quickly, and **way** she was moving…”

“You think she was a Time Jacker?” Geiz asked.

“She didn’t look like one.” Tsukuyomi replied. “And the others didn’t show up. Plus, she wasn’t trying to create an Another Rider, or anything. Just…”

“… Absorbing… Something.” Sougo mused. “The doctor said the boy’s body is giving out—like from old age or something…” He frowned a little. “So… Maybe she took his life?” He sat up like something had just occurred to him, pointing at the ceiling. “Like what Another Fourze-Faiz was doing!”

“I told you to stop calling it that.” Geiz grumbled, reaching over to push his hand down, without looking. “But unfortunately, you have a point. He was stealing the lives of girls similar to her to keep that girl alive…” He sighed. “But we only know of this incident, so there’s no way to know if there’s a pattern.”

“She said something about ‘wasting too much time’ there, too. Like she had something she was trying to accomplish something.”

“Yeah,” Geiz grunted. “But **what**?”

None of them knew.

“There’s also the matter of the other person, the one who intervened after she broke the FaizPhone.” Tsukuyomi took the Phone out of her pocket, examining it. “Which is… Still broken.” She set it down on the table. “But that’s not the only thing. Just before she showed up, I was trying to do research about the flash, when…” Pulling out her pad, she started up the search engine again. “Remember that thing about the star going nova, in 2044?” She asked Geiz.

He nodded while Sougo looked between them in confusion. “What?”

Tsukuyomi didn’t respond, instead typing in the appropriate information into the pad—and showing them the results. “There’s nothing. No related pages, no anything else. It’s like it never happened.”

Geiz leaned forward, frowning. “What the…?”

Sougo, still looking confused, offered, “Has it happened with anything else?”

She gave him a look. “That’s a little hard to search, but…” Twirling the pad back around to face her, she tried typing something else into the search. That came up—but when she tried something else, it was gone, too.

They went through a whole series of random events, from sports games to geological events. More than half of them came back with nothing—no side information, or anything else, like the first one. Like the events themselves had been completely erased from history.

“And you’re sure these things happened?” Sougo asked. Geiz just glared at him.

At that moment, though, Junichiro appeared in the room, looking highly distressed. “Hey… That kid you guys mentioned…” His brows knit together even more. “… It seems to be spreading.”

All three of them stared at him. “What?” Tsukuyomi asked.

Sougo already had his phone out, looking through news streams. “It’s all over the internet… No one can seem to figure out what’s causing it…” His expression darkened heavily. “… There’s a lot of people who… Didn’t make it.”

Tsukuyomi had looked it up as well. “This is too many people… It’s too fast. If she’s doing all of this, she has to be… Teleporting or something.”

Geiz was already getting up. “Which means the sooner we find her, the better.” He grunted. The other two quickly followed, Tsukuyomi tucking the pad away and Sougo getting out the Hawk Watchroid.

Junichiro blinked and stared around as they rushed past him. “What? Where are you guys going?”

“Out,” Was all Sougo said, before pulling on his coat and rushing out the door.

* * *

Against all odds, it seemed, they found her.

She was hounding two frightened young women into a corner while the crowd around them fled in panic.

“Hey!” At the sound of Tsukuyomi’s voice, the woman whirled around—this time her body turning too much of the way before her head followed. The moment she looked away, the girls scampered away, Tsukuyomi directing them towards safety while the woman scrutinised all three of them.

“… **Why** ,” She demanded sourly, pale face frowning, making its edges sharpen, “In **every** timeline…” She slid forward a few steps with the same unnatural elegance Tsukuyomi had seen her move with before, “Is it **always** you three?” Her voice was a grating, peculiar mix of notes that made their ears ring.

Sougo frowned back at her in confusion. “That’s… What do you mean by ‘every timeline’?”

The woman’s head rolled around too far to the side when she sighed. “It seems no matter where or **when** I go, **some** combination of you people will **always** show up.” She complained, not bothering to even recognise the question. “ **How** do I get to the time where you don’t exist?” Another, rolling sigh. “Oh well.” She shrugged dramatically, then stretched her arms out—when her head lolled around to focus on them, her expression had morphed into a threatening glare with the hint of a smirk. “At least it’ll be enjoyable to destroy you again.” Then she surged forward in a flash.

They just barely ducked out of the way, Tsukuyomi moving back to try and give the boys space to transform. The woman took a moment to consider, then focused on Sougo, swirling around like a dancer, bending ways that shouldn’t have been possible to snap back and attack. Sougo barely got his armour on in time, but when he threw up an arm to block her claw-strike, her nails actually cut into the plating, leaving deep scratches. A prompt tackle from Geiz dislodged her, but she slipped away from him just as fast.

“Zi-O?” Geiz called over his shoulder at the other Rider, concern shading his voice despite himself.

“I’m fine!” Sougo panted, coming back up beside him, examining the damage on his arm. “But I think Tsukuyomi’s right… She’s not human.” Their opponent laughed at that, a bubbling, irregular sound that was just as unpleasant to the ear as her voice.

“My Overlord,” As usual, Woz came from nowhere, making Tsukuyomi jump when he appeared at her shoulder, “I would advise against continued interaction with this being. There is nothing of her in this book; it could be detrimental to the timeline.”

The woman blinked at him like she had just remembered something. “Oh… That’s right… You’re here, too.” She paused like she was thinking, then, “How many of you are there, now?” Woz stared at her, but no one wanted to waste time parsing out what the things she said meant at that moment.

Sougo glanced anxiously between their opponent and the prophet. “Maybe, but… If we don’t stop her…” He looked at the ground slightly, “… Then more people are gonna die.” He brushed himself off, shooting a glance at Geiz for affirmation. “We have to do something.”

“Just stay focused.” Was all Geiz said.

Unfortunately, focused didn’t help. The woman’s movements were too wild and irregular for them to trap or predict her, and it wasn’t just her nails that cut their armour, but the knives in her boots as well. She moved like she was made from elastic, and hit like a train, moving out of reach and coming back to attack again with lethal speed and accuracy.

It wasn’t long before she knocked Sougo back and out of his transformation, sending him flying and rolling across the ground. She made a go at him again, but Tsukuyomi managed to rush in and yank him out of the way. By that time, Geiz had managed to struggle back up from where he’d been knocked, getting in between them and taking the hit right in chest—then another, until she grabbed him the shoulders and threw him with inhuman strength several yards. He hit the ground with a slightly sickening sound, his transformation breaking as well. The woman spun around and pounced like a boneless cat back after him.

“Geiz!” Sougo cried, try to get back and failing, wincing when the motions moved his injuries the wrong way.

Geiz tried to get up, as well, but then the woman’s foot came down on his shoulder blade, pinning him. “You know…” She murmured, casting a glance over at the other two’s distress, head turning almost three-sixty again, and her lips twitched toward a smile. “… I almost forget how much fun **this** part was.” Pressing harder with her foot, she snapped her arm back again, aiming for Geiz’s back, while Sougo shouted his name again. Tsukuyomi shot to her feet and charged forward, uncertain whether she planned to try and tackle her or kick her or…

A large black shape barrelled into the woman, sending her flying, instead.

She landed in a crouch, digging her nails into the pavement itself to stop skidding, leaving long, deep scratches. The shape vaulted over Geiz completely, landing, then leaning hard sideways to spin around and park between the Rider and where she landed like a wall. It was a sleek black motorcycle, the design somehow almost familiar but still alien; the rider was wearing a long black trench coat, with a hood coming from under the collar, pulled low over his face. When he tilted his head to look back at the woman he had just knocked away, they saw that he also had some sort of turtleneck on under it as well, the large collar pulled up all the way over his nose from beneath the lapels of the coat. Aside from his eyes, the only distinguishing feature that could be seen was a rather painful looking scar that crossed from his right temple diagonally down his face, under his eye and across his cheekbone, disappearing into the collar.

The woman’s eyes narrowed. “ **You** …” She snarled, with even more venom than she had addressed them with. With a small shriek, her arm slithered up and she drove her fist down into the cement, generating both a huge cloud of dust and a shockwave that sent Sougo, in just the wrong spot, flying and then obscured him from view.

“Sougo!” Tsukuyomi shouted, and was briefly surprised when she realised Geiz had yelled it at the same time, stumbling to his feet.

At that moment, however, the woman burst from the cloud, diving right at the black-clad rider. But unlike they had been, he seemed ready—he blocked her first swing with one arm, climbing smoothly off the bike and kicking her in the stomach at the same time, pushing her back. They kept up the surprisingly equal exchange of blows while the sound of another bike whirred up behind them, making the remaining three turn.

This bike had white accents, and its rider was dressed in a long, elegant white coat with embroidery on the edges, and was clearly a woman. She, too, wore a hood low over her face, this time with a scarf wrapped around her face inside it, covering most of it. A long plait of black hair—reaching all the to her waist, with a black, white, and grey bead pattern braided into it—hung over her shoulder, slipping out from beneath both scarf and hood. She pulled to a stop beside Tsukuyomi. “Get on.”

The girl stared at her. “What?”

The woman wearing white snapped her head around to give her a hard look. “Get on, now! He can only hold her for so long!”

“But Sougo-”

“Your friend is fine! Someone else is getting him— **we** need to go!” Tsukuyomi hesitated for another moment, then obeyed.

At that moment, the man managed to knock the inhuman woman back far enough for him to return to his own back, climbing back on and twirling it around again to pull up beside Geiz. “You, too.” He grunted bluntly. Geiz shot him a glare, pausing, then tried to take a step toward where Sougo had been thrown. The man’s hand shot out and seized the boy’s arm, pulling him back. “Listen to me.” He growled. “I know what you’re thinking, but you **cannot** beat her now. The best thing to do is retreat and regroup.” When the boy waited another moment, glancing back towards the cloud, the man pulled him a little closer, his voice deepening slightly. “There’s nothing more you can do, get on the damn bike.” Geiz waited a bit longer—then finally complied.

Neither the man nor his companion waited for them to be completely ready before restarting their bikes and building up speed, racing away from the slowly dissipating cloud.

“Who are you people?” Tsukuyomi asked, shouting over the wind.

“We’ll explain later!” The woman shouted back.

Tsukuyomi was about to ask more anyway, when the man’s voice cut in urgently. “Behind us!”

The woman looked over her shoulder, beyond Tsukuyomi’s head. “… I see them!” She yelled—at the same time two large, mechanical forms rose from the dust, barrelling through the air after them; the Time Jacker Time Mazines. “They really don’t know when to stay out of things…!”

The man pulled up even with her. “If they’re trying to ally with Pendulum, they have no idea what they’re getting into.” The conversation was briefly interrupted when the machines fired on them, forcing the two drivers to weave. In another brief moment of calm, he continued, “We need to lose them! Can you take them down?”

“Get me a shot and we’ll see!” The woman called back. “I can’t do any damage when they’re moving like that!”

The man groaned, a shuddering vibration Geiz felt through his back. “You never could ask for anything easy…” He grumbled, then, “Hang on, kid!” Without a second warning, he turned the motorcycle so sharply they tipped sideways, speeding directly at the Time Mazines. “… This could get bumpy.” He revved the bike, picking up speed—then yanked the front upward blasting up a makeshift ramp of road construction materials, pulling them into a jump. For a moment, they were suspended in the air between the two machines, and the man turned the handles of the bike in a peculiar direction. With a soft grinding sound, panels on either side of the bike opened, and chains shot out of either side, latching onto the Time Mazines so that when it landed, spinning about in a circle, they were dragged downward.

On the other bike, the woman swung her leg over so she was balancing on one side, turning them around as well. “Take over!” She ordered Tsukuyomi, nodding toward the handle bars. Uncertainly, the girl inched forward to take over steering. “Just keep it steady!” The woman continued, then slipped over to get on the back. Tsukuyomi heard a click and the sound of something charging up behind her. “Almost…”

Something lined up, and two blast of red light streaked through the air, hitting precisely on target. The shots caused a chain reaction in the two machines, making them spark, burst, and lose control. While the woman switched back with Tsukuyomi, the man revved the engine of his bike once more, making a few tight circles to get the damaged Time Mazines spinning around a bot, then turned the handles back. The grapples disengaged from the machine’s, reeling back into the bike’s sides. The built up momentum sent both the machines flying into the distance as the bikes reoriented and continued racing away without missing a single beat.

* * *

“You’re going to wear a hole in the ground.”

Sougo stopped pacing and turned to look at the man behind him. He was leaning causally against a motorcycle with silver edging, arms folded, wearing a long grey overcoat that was buttoned all the way up. A similarly coloured hood protruded from the collar, pulled down over his face, the lower half of which was covered by an equally grey handkerchief tied behind his head. There was a single, longer chord of hair that was dangling a bit behind his right ear, braided with a small pattern of white, black, and grey beads. His voice was quiet and frustratingly calm.

Temper piqued slightly, Sougo marched back over to face him, folding his own arms. “… You promised my friends were okay.”

“And they are.” The man replied cooly. “My allies are not so easily defeated. They’ll be here.”

Sougo frowned at him. “You don’t understand-”

At that moment, the sound of motorcycles came from over his shoulder, and he whirled around. A man in black and a woman wearing white pulled up and parked nearby, climbing off—and letting their passengers get off as well.

“Sougo!” Tsukuyomi saw him first, rushing forward to meet him just as he started towards them. When he threw his arms around her shoulders in a hug, she seemed rather surprised, but didn’t push him away, even patting his shoulder gently, looking him over when he stepped back. “Are you alright?”

He nodded. “You guys?” She returned the affirmative gesture while Geiz came up beside her—Sougo started forward to try and hug the other Rider, too, but Geiz immediately fell back a step and gave him a warning look, so he stopped, dropping his arms awkwardly.

Meanwhile, the other two had walked over to the man in grey. “What took you two so long?”

“The Time Jackers decided to put in an appearance,” The man in black explained. “She shot the Time Mazines down, but we should consider that they may have her attention now.”

The woman dressed in white tilted her head. “Did you get out alright?”

The man clothed in grey nodded to them, straightening and unfolding his arms. “We were fine. But we don’t have a moment to lose. If she recruits them, it could accelerate her plans.”

“Whose plans?” All three of them turned to look at the teenagers, now watching them suspiciously. “Who are you people?” Sougo continued.

“For now, call me Gray.” Said the man who had rescued him, “These are Black and White.” He gestured between the two wearing those respective colours. “We’ve been pursuing the being you met today across time for a while now.”

“Across time?” Tsukuyomi asked.

White nodded. “She’s not human, but rather, an entity that has existed outside of time since the beginning. She calls herself Pendulum, and is exceedingly powerful, but normally quite peaceful. However…” She glanced at her two companions, “… Something stranger happened. She seems to have gone berserk, an dis attacking timelines with the intention of completely destroying time itself.”

“Eh?” Sougo stared at them, all three sets of eyes serious over their different face coverings. “Timelines? Destroy time?”

Gray stepped forward. “In everything that happens, there are multiple, minute differences that lead down multiple paths. For instance,” He gestured to himself and his companions, “We come from a timeline that is substantially different from yours.” There, he hesitated. “At least… We did.”

“What does that mean?” Geiz wanted to know.

“It was destroyed.” Black grunted in reply. “One of the first when Pendulum’s rampage started.”

Gray nodded solemnly. “… That’s right. We were barely able to survive by being inside Time Mazines at the moment it happened.” His eyes moved back to look at the three kids before him. “We’ve been following her from timeline to timeline ever since, trying to stop her. Unfortunately…” His shoulders drooped. “… We’ve failed each time.”

“And now she’s here…” Tsukuyomi murmured.

“Yes,” White put in, “But if you three are willing to help up, we might have more luck. Doubling our power could just be the thing we need to put an end to this.”

Sougo glanced at Geiz and Tsukuyomi, who both looked hesitant—but he could also see from their expressions that they both understood there didn’t seem to be a choice. “… Okay.” He told Gray. “What do we have to do?”

“First, we should go somewhere we can discuss this more easily.” The man replied. “We can give you the details back at your shop.”

Tsukuyomi frowned. “You know about Kujigoji Do?”

Gray was already moving back to his bike. “We told you,” He said over his shoulder, “We’ve been through a lot of timelines.”

Black and White also started back towards their bikes when she suddenly froze. “Wait.”

The other two looked at her. “What?” Gray asked.

“I just realised…” She turned toward Black. “… We left prophet boy back there.”

“Well don’t look at me,” Black muttered, slightly sourly, “I was under the impression that was intentional.”

There was a silence—and then Gray and White both burst out laughing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright everyone, meet who I like to call the 'Gradient Trio'! ^^  
> Also, I'm sorry I'm bad at writing action sequences. Trust me, that whole thing looked MUCH cooler in my head.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The worst pair of opposites is boredom and terror. Sometimes your life is a pendulum swing from one to the other.  
> - _Yann Martel_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for any and all typos.  
> Might add more notes later.

The park was completely frozen in time.

Ora sat on the square base of a statue, looking at her fingernails while Heure kicked at pebble son the cobbled ground.

“Who **is** that woman?” The younger Time Jacker demanded sourly. “And for that matter, who were those two?”

Ora merely shrugged. “How should I know?” She crossed her legs, sighing disinterestedly. “They did a number on the Time Mazines, though. Knew exactly what to hit. Don’t think we’ll have those back up any time soon.” Heure glared at her for the indifferent tone in her voice and went back to pacing and kicking the stones with an even more pronounced pout. He made several more trips back and forth across the cobblestones.

Then stopped.

He turned on his heel, and Ora looked over her shoulder. Standing a few yards away, right at the edge of the paved circle surrounding the statue that was Ora’s perch, was the woman in question.

She stared at them, her eyes not even trying to blink, like she had no instinct for it, for far too long. Then, “… Intriguing. You two have never done that before.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Heure snapped; the woman just tilted her head a little to stare at him. When she didn’t speak for a while, he folded his arms and scuffed his foot. “Well? Say something!”

With a sigh that sounded like a harsh wind, the woman stepped forward, linking her hands behind her back. “I have travelled through multiple versions of these events.” She said simply. “You two have managed to show more initiative than your predecessors.” She paced past them, then spun around on her heel to face them again. “I am Pendulum. I believe we can be of use to each other.”

“And what would we gain by working with you?” Ora asked, refusing to be moved from her perch.

Pendulum swayed back and forth on her feet like the very thing she called herself. “I, also, wish to… Alter time.” She said—though it sounded like she was carefully annunciating each word through her jarring voice. “If my plan succeeds, the future of Ouma Zi-O would be undone.”

“Oh? And what would the catch be?” Heure snapped.

Pendulum didn’t even deign to look at him properly. “I have no obligation to tell you that.” She paced around them in an arcing shape. “You’re already playing havoc with time yourselves.” She faced them again, but also looked somewhere over their heads. “Merely accept that, for the moment, our goals align. Besides,” She folded her arms in an inhumanly fluid motion, “I know about those three who just showed up. They’ve been pursuing me for a long time. I know how they work. Without a doubt, our opponents are forming an alliance of their own, even now. It would be prudent for you to do the same.”

Ora finally jumped down from the statue base. “She’s got a point. They easily took down the Time Mazines, and went off to who knows where with Zi-O and his allies.” She cast a glance over the strange woman—thoughtful, but still suspicious. “… Could be useful.” The woman just stared back at her for a moment, then began to pace slowly again.

Heure frowned. “Are you sure you’re not thinking too highly of yourself?” He snapped. “Even we have **some** rules. You can’t just go around changing time willy-nilly.”

Pendulum froze. Her head snapped around to stare directly at him, the light in her eyes blazing suddenly, the air around her trembling. It felt like her stare was literally burning a hole in his head. “Do not speak of the laws of time to **me** , **boy** ,” She hissed, moving toward him with her boneless, reptilian grace, expression dangerous. Heure found himself riveted to the spot—not by any time freezing power, just because he couldn’t will his legs to move even slightly. So he just stood there, staring back wide-eyed, while she moved closer, glaring down at him mercilessly. “I was **there** when they were written.” She was close enough he could feel the air, the time, shuddering around her, the aura of sheer rage.

Sworz stepped between them.

Pendulum came up short before she crashed into him, glaring briefly, then sliding back a step when he refused to move. “… Well.” Was all she said.

Heure tried to step around Sworz, but the older Time Jacker’s arm shot out to block him, then subtly herd him back. “… There are more effective ways to offer alliances.” The older Time Jacker said evenly, though it looked like his jaw was clenched a little more than usual.

“There are more effective ways to accept one.” Pendulum replied, just as calmly. They stared at each other for a little longer—then, with a sound that was almost a sigh, she moved back to put more space between them. “I don’t have time to deal with over protective parents.” Heure really tried to storm forward at that, but Ora caught him by the collar before he even his Sworz’s arm again. Meanwhile, Pendulum reached into her coat, pulling out a little golden ball on a string and drooping it so that it swung, the other end pinched between her fingers. It followed the same track each time, and never wandered nor faltered. “I have my own plans to attended to.” She glanced back up at them. “If you **do** decide you’re interested, come meet me later when it begins.” One last twirl of her heel, and she turned her back on them. “You’ll know when and where.” In a shudder, she was gone.

Sworz lowered his arm, moving forward slightly to frown at where she had been.

“She’s insufferable!” Herue spat, wrenching himself free of Ora’s hold on his coat.

“Perhaps,” The other Time Jacker conceded, checking her nails again like she thought he’d broken one, “But she seems quite powerful.”

“Maybe too powerful.” Sworz concluded. “A creature like that would have little to gain from merely changing time.”

“So,” Ora said, folding her arms and sticking one foot out to bounce her heel like she was bored, “What is she doing?”

* * *

“Is Pendulum the reason events of the future were disappearing?” Tsukuyomi asked, setting down a tea tray on the table— slightly a mess because Sougo had filled it.

Black had sat down on the couch like he owned it, arms folded, gazing around at the whole room. White was sitting on one side of the table, while Gray had pulled up a chair at the end of it. Geiz had taken his usual seat, and Tsukuyomi sat down in hers at the same time Sougo did.

Gray almost reached for the tea tray—then seemed to remember he had something over his face and pulled his hand back. “Yes,” He replied. “The moment she integrated herself into this time, it began to fray apart. The very fabric of this time is coming unravelled.”

“But that alone isn’t enough to destroy something as massive as time,” White took up the explanation. “That’s whys he builds this… Device.”

“Device?” Sougo asked.

“It’s the reason she’s collecting time.” Gray added. “Those people she was attacking? She was absorbing their futures, pasts, presents—taking time allotted to them and converting it into power for her own purposes.”

“Why did that make them turn grey?”

“A person’s time is their existence,” White said, “All the things they have done, all the things they would have done. Every single little, even minuscule way in which they effected the flow of time? It all disappears.” Her voice veered into sorrowful. “… It won’t be long everyone starts to forget they were ever there.”

There was a long pause. “She uses the time she takes to create what’s essentially a space-time bomb.” Gray said at last. “And once it’s set off… It erases… Everything. Every single moment, event, choice…” He waved a hand. “Then she moves on to the next timeline that’s stable enough to enter. And once she does it enough…” He shook his head.

“And there’s no way to get it back?” Tsukuyomi asked. The only answer was a unanimous head shake.

“Once it’s gone, it can’t be reset or recreated. It will never flow in that particular way ever again.” White said—then her gaze drifted over to her companions, “And anyone who isn’t erased…”

“… Anyone who isn’t is… What?” Sougo prompted, when she didn’t continue. White’s gaze fell to the table.

“… When our timeline was destroyed,” Gray took up—slowly, like he was still admitting it to himself, “We were disconnected from the flow of time. We have no place here. Like lost time, no matter what happens, we cannot be reset. If we fall, we will simply…” He sighed deeply, waving a hand, “… Disappear. Just like everything else.” A long silence followed his words.

“… Removing this timeline, though…” The cautious, yet deliberate words came from Geiz, who was pointedly looking at the tabletop rather than anyone in the room. “…Would it also remove Ouma Zi-O?”

“Yes.” Said a voice from the other side of the room—Sougo looked over his shoulder in surprise to see that Black had finally spoken. “But it would also destroy the lives and existences of every single other person. None of them would be the same—some might not even be born. It’d be destroying a whole world.” The man sat up from where he’d been slouching, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Besides, Ouma Zi-O isn’t only in this timeline. It could happen again, just differently. It’s not an effective method.” Quiet filled the room again.

“Ah! Sougo! You’re back!” Junichiro appeared from the front room, hurrying over to the table. “I just went and did some shopping, what do you think…” He paused, frowning. “… What are you wearing?”

He was addressing Gray.

The man glanced around awkwardly like he was looking for help, then quickly raised a hand and pointed at Sougo. “I, uh… I think you’re looking for him.”

Junichiro blinked, looking slowly between them. Finally, it dawned, and he smacked his forehead. “Oh. Oh my goodness, I am so sorry! So sorry!” When Gray waved that it was fine, he turned to his nephew. “More of your friends, Sougo?” Sougo wasn’t sure if he’d really call the trio ‘friends’ yet—but it seemed like the safest explanation to give his uncle, so he nodded. Junichiro clapped his hands together. “Wonderful! I was just thinking I bought too much! I’ll go get started now so we can have a feast for dinner!” He clapped a hand down on Gray’s shoulder. “You all have to stay!” Then he gathered up the groceries and hurried out, while Gray sat there, seeming rather dazed.

On the couch, Blacked made a sound that was close akin to a snort. Gray’s head snapped around. “Oh, no,” He pointed at Black for emphasis, “You **do not** get to laugh at me!” Then White chuckled, and he nearly jumped out of his chair indignantly, “Not you, too!” When Black shook his head in amusement instead, Gray scooped up an orange from the bowl of fruit on the table and tossed it at his companion’s head without really looking.

Black merely caught it expertly, and threw it back—which Gray promptly returned; and so they went until White, taking deep breath to quell her own laughter, reached up and snatched it right of the air before Gray could catch it again, making them both shoot her what seemed to be offended looks from beneath their hoods and facial coverings. “You two are like cats.” She scolded, though there was obvious affection in her tone. “Behave.”

“Because cats listen to orders,” Black muttered—but then White glared at him, and he just held up his hands innocently.

“You mentioned something about a device?” Tsukuyomi cut in. Both she and Geiz had become well aware that when Junichiro was absorbed in cooking, he heard nothing.

The question seemed to sober the trio up. “Essentially,” Gray explained, “It’s a space-time bomb. She has this trinket that when she sets it up and pours the time she’s collected into it, it gets bigger. Beyond a certain point, it starts being able to absorb time on its own—and not long after…” He made explosions motions with his hands.

“The trick is,” White continued, “That we’ve never been able to successfully… ‘Diffuse’ it. She also has something that negates any other time related power within a certain radius—can’t try to destroy it with the Time Mazines because they shut down. Your transformation won’t work, either.”

“So what’s the plan? Geiz asked.

“Pendulum carries multiple of the device in its dormant state.” Gray said. “Where she gets them, we don’t know. But White thinks that if we can get our hands on one, she can figure out a way to counteract it. Then, we could properly focus on Pendulum herself before she has a chance to start another. The trick is getting one in the first place. I’ll make the opportunity.” He looked over his shoulder at his companion on the sofa. “Black can keep her busy.” The other man grunted, but it sounded affirmative. “If one of you three can get a hold of one of the deactivated ones and pass it off to White, we might stand a chance.”

“How do we find her, though?” Sougo wondered. “We did it by chance before.”

Gray leaned forward on the table, fingers tapping on his elbow. “… Pendulum showing up nearby…” His head tilted slightly. “… What are the odds of that?” Both of the other two looked sharply at him, while Tsukuyomi, Geiz, and Sougo exchanged bewildered glances.

“… What?”

Then there was a commotion from outside, accompanied by distant screaming. Geiz and Tsukuyomi were up immediately, Sougo trailing a little behind—which was why he was the only one to notice when Gray slumped slightly sideways, Black practically dove across the room to catch him, and White shot to her feet to touch his shoulder.

But then Tsukuyomi called his name, and he glanced away, and by the time he looked back, all three of them had recovered, though Black was holding Gray’s arm like he’d helped him to his feet. “Not a moment to waste,” Gray said, with what sounded suspiciously like practiced cheer—but the fact that he was right prevented Sougo from asking more.

This time, they didn’t get there in time to stop Pendulum from catching someone, but when Black charged in and pushed her back, Tsukuyomi was relieved to discover that the boy, wearing the uniform of the local middle school, still had a pulse when she rushed to him, and dragged him clear as quickly as she could.

“You people **really** don’t know when to give up!” Pendulum hissed, leaning close to Black’s face in a moment of pause when he blocked one of her swings; then she shoved him back twirling away. “Oh well…” She rolled her shoulders. “Might as well start with you…” She drove forward again. Gray skirted around the outside, creating a small perimeter and subtly keeping her in one area, while White herded people away whilst staying close.

Sougo was trying to analyse the situation and decide what to do when Geiz stepped up beside him, already readying his Ride Watch. “You go. I’ll cover you.” He stared in confusion at the other Rider for a moment, then decided not to push it.

“Right pocket of her coat.” White had appeared on his other side. “Looks like a little golden ball.”

He gave her a nod, then turned his attention back to the fight, waiting for the right moment—when her back was turned, and he was sure her full focus was on Black and Gray, he took it, rushing forward and trusting Geiz and even White to keep an eye out. Black saw him coming, and when he rolled into range, the man surged forward and caught Pendulum’s forearms, locking her in place. Black’s sleeve was ripped, and there was a shallow, bloody scratch on his arm, another on his leg, and Sougo could see Gray’s shoulder heaving from exertion from the corner of his eye—he needed to do this quickly.

He made a grab for her pocket, but one of her knees bent the opposite way to kick him in the stomach with considerable force. He heard the announcement ‘Zikan Bow’ somewhere behind him, and red light flew over his head, hitting Pendulum in the back, still in an armlock with Black. Though she hardly winced, the force did seem to daze her, giving Sougo a moment to dive forward again. His hand scrambled with her jacket pocket until he finally got hold of one of the gold balls, attached to a little silver string.

With an inhuman howl, Pendulum jerked free of Black’s hold so roughly she sent him practically flying, snapping around to dive at Sougo as he fled. Geiz rushed forward to back him up, successfully blocking her swing—but her claw-like nails cut into his armour, too, and this time stayed rooted there. Instead of sneering another insult, though, Pendulum just snarled—sounding frightfully like a bear Sougo had heard on television once. Twisting her free arm into an unnatural position, she snapped her fingers, which sparked blue—then the light expanded, swirling into a massive ball that sucked pebbles off the ground, bit the tops off signs. She wrenched her hand free of Geiz’s arm and teleported away, giving the Rider hardly enough time to dive clear of the pull.

Sougo was about to race for safety himself when he heard a bark. Casting about over his shoulder, he noticed that, perhaps in the confusion, a small dog had been left behind, and its leash was stuck in a fence—right in the path of the light’s vacuum.

Whirling around, he threw the little ball to Tsukuyomi, who caught it, then called his name in confusion when he went back the other direction, and Geiz shouting ‘Zi-O?’ as he passed, and third voice that might have been Gray’s. Hurrying to the dog’s side, he used the Zikan Sword to cut through the leash, gathering the frightened little animal up in his arms—only to realise that the ball of light was bearing down upon them, that he could feel it pulling him in. Desperately, he managed to turn and toss the dog to Geiz, who caught it rather impressively, given the short notice.

Then electric blue light consumed his vision as he was sucked into the light.

“Sougo!” Gray raced forward like he planned to jump in as well, even as the light began to contract quickly.

Before he could reach it, however, Black caught him—not even bothering to grab his arm, getting an arm around his waist and dragging him back, stepping between him and the light. “No!” Black’s other hand seized Gray’s shoulder, squeezing it tightly, his voice harsh and firm, “No! This is not your job, this my job! You need to do **your** job.” He met the other man’s eyes. “Let me do mine.” He punched Gray once in the shoulder, hard enough that the other man winced, then turned and jumped into the light right before it snapped out of existence.

There was a very long silence, the only sounds that of Geiz’s armour disappearing and the whimpers of the dog he seemed to have forgotten he was holding.

“What was that?” Tsukuyomi asked, hand shaking as she clutched the little ball tightly. “Where’s Sougo?”

“That… Was a portal.” White said quietly. “They’ve been transported to another dimension, smaller than this one."

“Are they coming **back**?” Geiz demanded, though it wasn’t quite as angry as he’d meant it because the dog had taken to licking his face joyfully.

“Theoretically.” Murmured Gray. “Assuming things go smoothly inside.” Both the teenagers looked slightly alarmed at that.

“He’ll be okay,” White reassured them quickly, “Black is with him.”

“I know.” Gray said softly, but his brows just knit tighter into a deeper frown, “But for some reason… That’s what I’m uneasy about.”

* * *

Sougo landed roughly and unHenshined on moss, grass, and dirt. He struggled up immediately to try and see what had happened, and found himself in some sort of small cave, sunlight streaking through from the mouth, the ceiling and walls covered with strange drawings and writing he didn’t recognise.

There was motion behind him, and he looked back just in time to see Black dive out of a ball of blue light that appeared similar to the one that had pulled him in, just as it blinked out. The man landed in a crouch, then stood, coming over to kneel beside him.

“You alright?” Despite the gruffness of the voice, the eyes above the collar where concerned, and some kind of expression made what Sougo could see of his scar move.

Sougo considered for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, I think so.” He took Black’s hand when the man offered, pulling himself up and brushing off. “Where are we?” Black heaved a deep sigh, then walked slowly to the mouth of the cave, gazing out. Sougo followed him, and was shocked to see rolling green hills, a perfectly clear sky, and a picturesque horizon. But a glance at the frown forming around Black’s eyes made it clear something was amiss.

“Nowhere.” The man said darkly. “Welcome to the Swing Dimension, kid.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aka, the Dimension where you learn to dance!  
> No, I'm kidding. Not that kind of swing.  
> Maybe.  
> Also, yes, that **is** based on that line. Because it's... Well, it's a pretty cool line, okay.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From that moment the pendulum went into reverse.  
> - _Gerald Sinstadt_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing to do w/ Football, actually (or to any American readers, Soccer XD). But it worked, okay.  
> Might add more notes later when I'm not a dumb person.

“What’s the Swing Dimension?”

“Like how a pendulum swings back and forth on a string, it swings back and forth between realities. We came through a thin part of the veil that Pendulum ripped open just as it swung into yours.” Black turned and looked at Sougo carefully—then saw something else that made him frown even more. “… That could be a problem.” He gestured toward the boy’s Driver.

Sougo blinked and looked down—to see that the Ziku Driver seemed to have cracked some time during transit, and the Zi-O Watch appeared to be stuck to it. “What the…!” He quickly removed the belt to try and examine the damage. “This can break?!”

Black sighed. “Gray can fix it.” He said, then paused. “… Assuming we make it out.”

Sougo glanced up at him in alarm while still trying to figure out what had happened to his Driver. “What do you mean?”

“The only way we’re going to make it back to your timeline is if we make it all the way across to the other side of this dimension by the time it swings back into your reality and try to tear back through. However, unlike most people, Pendulum’s existence isn’t limited to one plane. I don’t think she’s just going to let us waltz across.”

“If it’s ‘swinging,’” Sougo said, in between trying to put the damaged Driver away, “Can’t we just wait for it to happen again over here?”

Black, however, was already shaking his head. “That’s not possible. You know how a pendulum’s swing is slightly smaller each time?” Sougo nodded—even though he wasn’t entirely certain what the man meant. “It’s like that. It doesn’t swing into exactly the same timeline more than twice. Once here, and once on the other side. If we stayed at this point, the reality it swung back into would be different from yours.”

“What if this was the back swing? What if we don’t make it in time?”

“Then we’re never getting back.”

Black’s voice was affectless, but Sougo couldn’t help immediately feeling a twinge of guilt. “… Sorry.”

The man looked at him sharply. “What?”

“You’re in here because of me.”

Black’s brows knit together in an odd way for a moment, forming an expression Sougo couldn’t identify because the other part of his face was covered, then just rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Regardless of why, we’re here now. And we need to get moving.” He walked briskly out of the cave, forcing Sougo to hurry after him.

“Is there a way to know when or where we’d come out on the other side?”

“No.” Was the reply as they started down the hill. “In theory, it’s possible for certain people to effect or… Prompt it to appear. Like what Pendulum did.”

“Is Gray one of those people?”

Black came to a halt so fast, Sougo slammed into his back—which turned out to be exceptionally solid, but also seemed weirdly familiar. Then the man turned around, frowning at him again. “What do you mean?”

Sougo frowned back. “Earlier. He caused Pendulum to show up nearby the shop, didn’t he?” He took a deep breath, trying to read into the man’s gaze. “You two were upset about it.”

Black gazed at him for a moment, then heaved his own sigh, and turned on his heel to keep walking—though maybe a little faster, requiring Sougo to jog slightly to keep up with his longer legs. “… Yes.” He said, after several moments of determined marching. “In a way. Gray’s powers are rather complex. However,” His voice took on a graver edge, “It’s also dangerous. If he overdoes it…” The man’s stride slowed slightly. “… He could die, or do irreparable damage to himself.” He came to a stop, shoulders sloping forward, forehead crinkling in what the anxiousness in his eyes indicated was a worried frown. “… He’s not very good at knowing his limits.”

Sougo surveyed the tension in his posture. “… You really care about him, don’t you?”

Black whirled around. “The…That’s…! I…” He floundered for another moment, then turned and walked away even more quickly with a disgruntled, “Whatever!”

Sougo was forced to run almost full-tilt after him, but grinned broadly as he did.

* * *

Tsukuyomi came into the dinning room to find White at the table, shining a light the golden ball that seemed to be analysing it somehow.

“… Where’d your friend go?” The woman asked without looking up from her task.

“You mean Geiz?” Tsukuyomi walked over and sat across from her. “He went out. I think he’s frustrated about being able to do anything about Pendulum or even getting Sougo back.” She looked around. “Gray?”

White jerked her head at the couch behind her, and Tsukuyomi leaned up to realise that Gray was lying on it, almost completely hidden by someone throwing a blanket over him. “Resting,” White said, bringing the girl’s attention back to her, “He needs it. Pushed himself a little too far today.”

Tsukuyomi watched her work with the ball for a little longer, then asked, “Who are you three, really?”

At that White did pause, looking up. “Why do you ask?”

“You have Time Mazines, you come from an alternate timeline… Your names obviously aren’t colours. Can’t you tell us the truth?”

White set the ball and her tool down, sighing softly, looking more at one of the clocks on the wall than Tsukuyomi. “… You’re right. Those aren’t our names.” Another sigh. “But… We agreed it was probably inadvisable to share our real identities openly. Time is an incredibly fragile thing in some ways. We could run the risk of sending it in a drastically different course by sharing what might seem like minor details. Besides,” She leaned forward on the table a little, picking up the tool, “It’s not like we can ever get it back.”

There was a sadness in her eyes and tone Tsukuyomi couldn’t miss. “… Was it happy? Your time.”

The woman was quiet for a bit, picking the golden ball back up and shining the light on it again. “I suppose it depends on what you mean by ‘happy.’ We were, I think. Most of the time.” The tool she held beeped slightly, and she set the ball down to look at it. “It might not have been perfect, or the best or anything. But it was ours. The one we fought for together.” She paused there, the emotion of the memory becoming too much for a moment. “… It’s gone now. Those two…” Her gaze turned slightly over her shoulder, to where Gray was practically hidden on the couch. “… They both took it hard.” As if in answer, the man mumbled something incomprehensible in his sleep. White sighed again, this time more sorrowfully. “They just both prefer to hide it. In different ways, maybe, but they do.” With a final, more resigned sigh, she returned her focus to the items in front of her, picking the ball back up and rising. “For now… This is all we can do.”

* * *

“Do you… Have to… Walk so fast!?” Sougo came up short, leaning on his knees to try and catch his breath.

Fortunately, Black apparently heard him, because the man also came to a halt in front of him, glancing back. “… Are you really this out of shape?”

Sougo snapped upright. “I’m in perfectly fine shape!” The words were somewhat invalidated by the fact that he then had to bend back over to breath afterwards.

Black sighed and rolled his eyes, mumbling something under his breath that sounded like ‘Always like this.’

“What?”

“Nothing.” The man growled, then waiting a few more moments. “Are you ready now? We need to keep moving; it won’t be long-” There was a shudder in the air, like the entire place was shaking, accompanied by a strangely pitched whine that made Sougo clutch at his head and ears—though Black seemed unaffected by the sound, looking around tensely. “… Shit. They’re here.”

Sougo had squinted up at him to ask who was there when something barrelled into him at a high speed, bowling him over. He heard Black calling his name distantly as he struggled to get back up. The shudder and sound were gone—but when he finally got his bearings, his question was no longer necessary. The beings around them looked like crosses between fairies and harpies—but armoured and clawed, with glowing eyes and bladed wings.

He ducked as one came at him again, trying to get out of the way. “What are these?”

“Creations of Pendulum’s!” Black shouted back, slightly breathless from fending off the creatures attacking him—with an added pained grunt that sharply reminded Sougo that the man’s arm and leg were already injured. “She must have sent them to stop us!” He batted another down, dodging a second attack. “We need to keep moving!”

But that was easier said than done, when the monsters outnumbered them immensely, attacking mercilessly. One of their claws made contact with the back of Sougo’s shoulder, ripping his sweater through and giving him a nasty gash that stung unnaturally; the blade of another’s wing got him in the side; any flat strike felt like a brick. They swarmed him when he staggered, and though he managed to dodge a few more of their swings, two of them got hold of his arms and started dragging him away.

“Sougo!” Black yelled again, trying to wade toward him—but more of the creature appeared between them as the two dragging Sougo stopped at the hill crest and threw him over, sending him careening down the slope and crashing into a mass of rocky and rough ground by the base. Everything ached—he could feel something wet and sticky dribbling down his temple, and there was a metallic taste in his mouth. His vision was hazy, but he quickly realised he was surrounded by the creatures, bearing down on him with blades and claws raised, ready to strike.

Then there was a crashing sound, and in a flurry of darkness, Black suddenly appeared between him and the creatures. Creating space by taking down one and throwing it into the others, he bent down enough to pull Sougo up by the arm, shoving him back. Not that there was much safety anywhere—Sougo could see the silhouettes of large, burlier looking creatures in the swarm of winged ones. He could hardly stay on his feet, and he could see that Black was sporting new cuts and injuries, including a slice on his forehead that would probably leave a scar similar to the one on his cheek and temple. He was reeling from the pain and a reminder that he had been the one to get them into this when he heard Black’s voice in an annoyed but determined growl.

“Damnit…” The man jerked upright, squaring his shoulders, then reaching a hand into his jacket. “… Looks like there’s no choice!” He pulled something out of his trench coat, but Sougo couldn’t see what it was, until…

“ **Ziku Driver**!” The familiar announcement rang out in the conspicuous silence.

Sougo’s jaw dropped, and his eyes widened. “Eh? You have a Driver?”

But that wasn’t all. Black produced something else from his coat, something round, twirling it in his hand to align it, before raising it up by his shoulder.

Something that was a familiar brand of red and yellow.

“ **Geiz**!”

If the pronouncement wasn’t enough, the familiar black and red digital clock face formed in the air, accompanied by the usual music.

“Henshin.” Black turned the Driver in a slightly lower key version of Geiz’s usual transformation motions, the rings of red light filling the air—and Sougo found himself standing a few paces behind a slightly taller Kamen Rider Geiz.

He didn’t get much time to be shocked, because the monsters rushed at them again; but this time, with Black—Geiz—transformed, the fighting was easier. He repeatedly swept out an arm to push Sougo behind him, keeping himself between the boy and the monsters as best he could. The large ones resembled minotaurs, with horns and hooves, that charged without stopping.

That was how it happened. Sougo wandered just a little too far afield from Black’s protection. Just a few steps, but enough that one of the large beasts locked onto him, snorting furiously, kicking the ground—just before it charge at him at high speed.

“Sougo!” Black’s voice— **Geiz’s** voice—cut through the panic. Next thing he knew, he’d been grabbed by the shoulders and yanked tightly against the Rider’s chest as the man threw himself between him and the monster, shielding Sougo with his back.

He clearly heard Black cry out when the creature slammed into them, and an awful sound of breaking bone.

Then they were sent both sent flying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologise for this being slightly shorter. That... Well, it seemed like a good place to end.  
> Also, I'm still bad at writing action scenes, and I apologise.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maybe love is like a pendulum. It swings back and forth, slowly, steadily, and sometimes you don't know where it will come to rest.  
> - _Tracey Garvis-Graves_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes later. Tired now.

When awareness returned to Sougo, he hurt all over—but he was definitely alive. A groan nearby made him remember what had happened, and he struggled up to look around.

Black lay close by, deHenshined; though they had been knocked apart by the landing, one of the man’s arms still lay outstretched on the ground towards him, his body angled the same way, sprawled across the ground, the motions of his breathing slightly irregular.

Sougo crawled over to him, feeling for his shoulder gently. “Hey… Hey…!” When the man gave no immediate response, he tried whispering, “Black!” Still nothing—for far too long of a moment.

He was about to try calling him Geiz, when the man’s eyes finally cracked open, and he let out something between a sigh and a hiss of pain. “… Sougo…?”

Sougo scooted back slightly so Black could sit up—halfway there, the man stopped, clutching at his side where the monster had hit him and almost collapsing all over again. Instinctively, Sougo reached out to catch him, but Black waved him off, dragging himself back up on his own. “Are you alright?” The boy asked, instead.

Black took a moment to get himself up to his satisfaction, though he continued to hold his side. “… I’ll be fine.” He grunted. “I just… Just got the wind knocked out of me.”

There was a moment of silence.

“… Y… You…” Sougo began finally, slowly. “You’re…” He gestured with his hand aimlessly, trailing off.

Black gave him a briefly bewildered look—then he, too, seemed to remember what had transpired as well. He considered for a moment, then heaved a resigned sigh and reached up and pulled the collar down off his face, folding it down beneath his chin.

It was Geiz. The shadow of his hood was still over his face, and it turned out the scar ran all the way across his cheek, diagonally to his chin, but he was definitely Geiz.

Sougo just sat on the ground, staring at him. The face under the hood morphed into a familiar self-conscious one. “Oi…” The man mumbled awkwardly, “… You’re staring.”

Sougo opened and close his mouth a few times, then finally shook his head and forced his eyes to blink. “I… I… Sorry.” Something occurred to him then. “Wait. If you’re… Then… Does that mean that White and Gray are…?” Black just gave him an equally recognisable judgemental look. “… Right.Right. I guess that’s obvious.” Then, “… I can make things happen at will?”

“Did you forget the part about overdoing it and dying?” When Sougo didn’t answer, Black shook his head. “Why are you all like this? Every single version of you.” The man staggered toward his feet, nearly falling again, but then clutching his side even harder to finish rising. “Whatever. We need to keep moving.”

Sougo scrambled to get up as well. “Right. Sorry.” Then he paused. “We’re friends, though?”

Black had already started away, hobbling a little, but stopped and turned back partially. “… What?”

“You and me… Well, other me. Gray. We’re friends, right?”

Black made Geiz’s embarrassed face again, turning away as quickly as he could in his condition. “Asking that now, of all times…?” He muttered, then started limping away. “Come on, we need to move. Our goal is that other large hill.”

Sougo glanced up to see it, a large mound of a slightly different shape then the one they’d come from. He thought about pointing out that Black hadn’t answered his question at all, but decided against it—more concerned with the way the man was swaying and his walk was more like a limp. So he trotted after best he was able. “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine.” Was the growled reply again. “Those things just hit hard.”

They walked in silence for only a few more steps before Sougo had to ask, “What was your timeline like?”

“You asked fewer stupid questions.” Black grunted in reply, then hesitated. “… It was normal.”

“Normal?”

“Not that different. People kept living. Time went on. Sometimes things went wrong. We dealt with it.” He sighed. “There was always a balance—never knew exactly what the future would bring. You’re always a magnet for the weirdest kinds of trouble.” He glanced back to notice Sougo was grinning at that, “That’s not a good thing!”

“Sorry, sorry! But-” He was cut off when Black grabbed his arm sharply, pulling him sideways to duck into the shadows of a set of large rocks on a hill. “What the-”

Black’s hand clamped over his mouth. “Shh!” The man’s head jerked towards the sky. Sougo followed his gaze to see one of the winged creatures soaring above them, searching. He tapped Black’s arm, to try and tell him he could let go. The man waited a moment anyway, with a rather long-suffering expression, then moved his arm, rearranging himself to keep holding his side. “They’re looking for us.” He hissed.

“How much further is it?”

Black squinted at the hill. It did seem to be getting closer, but there was still distance to cover. “Too far.” He grunted, frowning even deeper. The instant the creature was out of sight, he grabbed the face of the rock to drag himself up. “We need to pick up the pace.”

* * *

She’d cleared out a large area outside of the city, freeing it of trees, grass, stone in a perfect circle, the perimeter blazing with black light. Walking to the centre, she held out the golden ball by the end of the string, dangling it for a moment, then dropping it. As it fell, she held out her hand and closed her eyes. The blue lights she’d been absorbing seeped from her ball, swirling around the ball, seeping into it. The ball stopped mid air and began to grow in size, and she flitted away to the edge to give it space. Each time it got bigger, it sent out a little shockwave—that for the moment didn’t even reach as far as the perimeter, but she knew they would get stronger.

She was standing at the edge, watching it work, when there was a ripple in the air beside her. One of her creatures appeared there, falling immediately into a kneel, folding its wings. She turned her head just slightly, and the creature’s helmet face clicked open half way, revealing a mouth that looked like mandibles, which emitted a long series of grotesque clicks and sounds.

“… I see…” She murmured. A cruel smile crept onto her face. “… This should be fun.”

* * *

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Sougo asked again, because, if anything, it seemed like Black as having more and more trouble moving.

“I said I’m fine.” Was the reply, though it almost sounded like it came through gritted teeth.

“You’re sure?”

“I think I’d be the one to know, yes.”

“… Would you tell him, if you weren’t? Gray? The other me?”

Black stopped walking, taking a deep breath and then turning to scowl slightly—but for some reason, it didn’t feel like there was that much actual enmity in the expression. The man looked like he was thinking about what to say. Finally, he just repeated, “… I’m fine.” Then he turned and walked away again.

Sougo tried to rush after him, but tripped on a loose clump of grass, and suddenly found himself rolling down the hillside they were on. It was nowhere near as rough a tumble as when the creatures had thrown him, but by the time he came to a stop, he discovered that the large sweater he was wearing had come loose, and he was now wrapped up tightly in it, squirming and kicking his legs to try and get free. He couldn’t seem to get it though, and ended up uselessly flopping around like a fish for a bit. Then, just as he thought he was starting to get it, he heard something from somewhere above him. It was a deep, booming sound, like the beat of a bass drum, and it made him squint up at the hillside to see what it was. The answer surprised him.

Black was laughing.

It was a little breathless, and he was still leaning heavily on one leg, holding his side. But he was laughing. It was an incredibly pleasant sound, too; warm, strong and reassuring. When Sougo focused on what was visible of his face under the hood, it turned out he was even smiling, a grin tugging at the scar on his cheek—a strange expression to see on Geiz’s face.

And then it occurred to Sougo that that had to be what Geiz’s laugh sounded like.

Maybe it wouldn’t be quite as deep and loud; but the tone, the sound would be the same. Not that he had anything to compare it to. In weeks, he didn’t think he’d ever heard his Geiz even chuckle.

Black finally noticed him staring, and the man’s expression morphed into the much more familiar, uncertain and self-conscious one. “I… You should get out of there.” He grunted, the usual gruffness creeping back into his voice. “We need to keep moving.” But Sougo could still hear the tiniest bit of a smile, even as Black made his way over and knelt down to help him untangle himself, shaking his head and grumbling,“What is it with you? Feels like half my life is spent pulling you out of some weird time hole or mess that you’ve managed to land yourself in… You really are the king of getting into trouble.”

“The what?”

Almost finished getting Sougo unwound, Black suddenly froze, any remaining amusement draining from his face. He blinked a few times, then for a moment, had an expression like hie heart had just broken. “… Nothing. I… I just… I forgot that you weren’t…” The shattered look cleared, and the man shook his head firmly one final time. “Nothing.” Quickly finishing with getting Sougo free, he took the boy’s arm and pulled him up. “Let’s go.”

He headed off before Sougo could ask anymore questions, and they walked in silence after that.

At long last, they reached the foot of the strange hill, and Sougo could see another, similar cave carved into the side of it. He started toward it, but then Black suddenly grabbed his arm sharply, pulling him back and pointing to something more directly in front of them.

Standing before them was Pendulum herself, head listing to one side as she watched them.

Sougo went instinctively for his equipment, then remembered it was broken. He didn’t miss when Black shifted slightly in front of him, eyes focused on the being watching them.

Pendulum spoke first, her piercing voice slicing through the tense silence that ensued. “… Fascinating.” She mused. “I’m amazed you can even stand upright.” Her blazing eyes were locked right on Black, leaving absolutely no question of who she was talking to.

Black’s expression shifted into an angry scowl. “I’m full of surprises.” He growled.

“Perhaps,” Pendulum replied, folding her arms—in the strangest way possible for such a simple gesture, “But you’re at your limit, aren’t you?” Black frowned and started forward, but then stopped, wincing just a little and clutching harder at his side. “That’s what I thought.”

Sougo rushed forward, putting his hand on the man’s shoulder worriedly. “I knew it…!”

There was an awful sound, worse than the screech of metal nails on a chalkboard. Pendulum was giggling. “Didn’t tell you, did he?” She chortled. “That’s right. Your friend’s been lying to you all this time.”Black let out a wordless snarl and tried to forward again, but something in him gave out and he dropped down to one knee with an only partially disguised cry of pain. When Sougo rushed to his side once more, he noticed blood oozing between the man’s fingers from the fabric of his trench coat. Pendulum laughed again, eyes glowing brighter with vicious delight. “Hurts, doesn’t it? Not that I would know, but I’ve come to understand that broken ribs like that are rather excruciating.” She began to pace around them, giving off the unnerving air of a large carnivore toying with its prey—not stalking, not hunting, but tormenting it and relishing its fear. “Every movement must have been **agony** , not to mention making the damage worse. I’m surprised you even made it all the way here.” She paused to survey them with the same sadistic look. “But you just **had** to, didn’t you? To ensure **he** would.” Her chin jerked towards Sougo, who felt his hand clench on Black’s shoulder—though whether with anger, terror, or guilt, he didn’t know. Pendulum came to a stop, rocking back onto her heels. “But at this point, your body couldn’t even handle transforming. And so…” Her eyes narrowed. “… This ends here.”

She raised her hand with a flourish, then throwing out her arm. Twisting light clustered around her in a silhouette, then shifted sideways and solidified beside her. It wasn’t a copy—at least, not of what she currently looked like. The thing was taller and looked like it was covered in armour, intricate and graceful, like a bird made from a candle flame, patterned with lines and spirals—but also dark and threatening, its edges sharpened like thorns. Its eyes burned like angry fire, and when it flexed its fingers, Sougo saw that they ended in curved, pointed claws.

Pendulum turned toward it slightly, her face pulling toward an awful smile once more. “Take care of this.” She told it, some sort twisted affection, like a human would have for a pet, entering her voice. “You don’t need to worry about that version of Myoukouin Geiz, he’ll be dead on his own soon anyway. But **do** make sure this version of Tokiwa Sougo doesn’t leave this place.” The thing bowed deeply to her—then she turned on her heel and disappeared.

The creature twirled back around to face them. It crossed its arms in front of its face, then through them back in a soundless shriek. Its eyes glowed even brighter, and the lines on its body lit up at the same time—then lifted off the air to float, feet dangling.

Black reached immediately for his Ride Watch, but Sougo grabbed his arm. “No! Don’t!” He didn’t get to say anything else, because the creature dove at them, its claws flashing out, leaving trails of flame in their wake. Black shoved Sougo down and ducked himself, but Sougo clearly heard the pained sound he made while doing so. Pendulum had been right—every motion was aggravating whatever injuries he had kept secret, and even just the slight strain of transforming would be too much. So when the being focused on him, he scrambled up and raced away, trying to lead it off.

“Sougo!” Black’s shout was breathless and broken, with a slight wheeze like he was having significant trouble breathing. Even so, he hauled himself to his feet, with massive effort, and dragged his body after the boy and his pursuer.

“I’m fine!” Sougo yelled back, though nothing could have been further from the truth. The creature was even faster than the others, and its claws had singed his clothes multiple times already. He was losing energy fast, and couldn’t keep up with the wild, unpredictable movements. Finally, the thing got in the good hit it needed, knocking him to the ground, then flashing forward to pin him. Behind it, he heard the Ziku Driver announcement, and struggled around a bit to see Black, swaying on his feet slightly, but with his Ride Watch. “No… No, don’t! Please!” He shouted, doing his best to dodge the oncoming strikes.

Black hesitated for a moment, looking down at the Watch in his hand, trying to keep breathing through whatever part of his ribcage had been inserting itself roughly into his lung. There was no choice. Sougo— **this** Sougo—had to make it out.

He’d always known he’d die in the suit. He’d just never once thought it would be the suit that killed him.

For a moment, his eyes closed.

_I’m going to be the kindest, most beloved Overlord ever!_

_I didn’t come here to be your friend._

_Geiz! Sougo’s not breathing!_

_You’re trying to save the little Overlord, and that’s all you’ve got?_

_When I came here, I was prepared to do anything to prevent Ouma Zi-O from happening._

_And now you’re not?_

_If you really do turn into Ouma Zi-O, I’ll take you out myself, I promise. Trust me._

_No matter what happens, I’ll always trust you two._

_You’re already a king by this point—the king of getting into trouble!_

_I’m glad you’re back to normal. Honestly, it would be weird if we didn’t argue._

_You complain all the time, but you always jump in to save him, too. Stop trying to pretend._

_I know you’re trying to protect us, but worry about yourself, too. You promised to watch over me, remember?_

He snapped them back open.

“… Sorry, Sougo.” Gritting his teeth, he raised the Ride Watch once more, with new determination. “Looks like I’m going to break that promise.” He activated the Ride Watch, forcing his body through the transformation motions. He felt it when the armour formed around him, pushing at his broken bones, twisting them in whatever internal wounds they’d already given him. He’d never been much of a screamer, but the pain still dragged out a short cry—but that was all.

In a flash of red, Black tackled the creature off of Sougo. It righted itself quickly while he hobbled his way to his feet as well. Sougo scrambled up behind him.. “No…” He whispered frantically. “No… No no no no…” He tried to rush forward, to grab the Rider’s arm, make him stop—even if it was already too late—but Black reached back, pushing a hand against his chest to stop him.

The man’s head turned back slightly, and he felt Black’s gaze through the helmet. “… Yes.” He said, his voice weak, but still intense. “…We’re friends.” Then he shoved Sougo away hard, sending the boy rolling across the ground quite a distance, just as the creature dove at them once more.

Black caught it, wrestling it into and arm lock. Once he had it completely pinned, he quickly twisted one arm free, reach down to activate the Driver; which loudly declared “ **Time Burst**!” The being’s head tilted, and it struggled to break free.

“Wait!” Sougo shouted. “If you activate it that close…!”

Black just reaffirmed his grip and growled, “I know.”

Yellow light flared up around them, the Hiragana tracing a curved line to the creature’s torso rather than the usual straight line. Sougo struggled to his feet and tried to run forward, but before he could even make it two steps, Black twisted around and roundhouse kicked the thing, tracing the line.

The resulting explosion knocked Sougo backwards, temporarily filling his vision with sparks, smoke, and licks of flame.

Neither Black or the creature made a single sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No idea if that's how Rider Kicks work here. But. Well, they do now.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The further the pendulum swings out over woe the further it is bound to swing back over mirth.  
> - _Mark Twain_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not that there's a lot of mirth in this chapter.  
> Here we are.  
> The scene(s) that started this whole damn thing in the first place.

When his vision started to clear, he was floundering his way upward before the spots were gone from his eyes, or his hearing back. Even through the shock, he knew very well what sort of scene would be before him.

Devastation. Grass was still smouldering around a mess of charred ground. There were pieces of what looked like charred and melted metal littering the area, a haze of smoke still hanging in the air, stinging his throat and eyes and smelling of ash.

He found Black on the ground, whole yards from where the explosion had gone off. The man was obviously in pain—he was spitting blood, his breathing was shaky and agonised, and his customary frown was more of a grimace, covered in burns and cuts. When Sougo’s palm brushed the front of his jacket as he lifted him into his arms, it was smeared with red—it seemed the dark clothes were obscuring some of the worst damage.

And on top of it all, his hood had come off. For the first time, Sougo could see his face completely clearly—and it was so heartbreakingly, unfairly, uniquely, Geiz.

Logically, he’d understood. The resemblance had been there before, even when the hood was up, after the collar had come down. But the covering had allowed his subconscious to create a disconnect, to think of them as two different people—focus on the differences, like the scar. But now that Black’s face was entirely exposed, he couldn’t **not** see it.

There were a few years of age difference—Sougo supposed Black was somewhere in his twenties—but it wasn’t enough to make a considerable change. Sure, he was taller, more broad shouldered—it was all Sougo could do to barely support the man’s upper torso—and there were some small lines around his eyes that hadn’t been there before; he had slightly longer hair that was dropping down toward his forehead, with a bead pattern braided into the fringes that matched White and Gray’s; the scar from his cheekbone to jaw; the different clothes…

But he was still undeniably Geiz. The face was almost identical, right down to the fierce, determined look on it, even while screwed up in pain.

“… Geiz…” Sougo’s voice was hardly a whimper, tears already in his eyes, and for a moment, he was afraid Black hadn’t heard him.

“Huh.” Grunted the man softly, his own voice tired and strained. “Haven’t been called that in a while.” The familiar dark eyes drifted up to Sougo’s face. “… I’m not going to apologise for lying.”

The line was just so perfect, and because it was **Geiz** , he couldn’t help it. “I didn’t even know you **could** lie.” The words cracked, and weren’t quite as teasing as they might have been under different circumstances.

Black chuckled, though it soon gave way to grunts of pain as more blood oozed from his lips. “… I walked into that.” He gasped, still smiling slightly—which looked a little odd on Geiz’s face. Then it turned into a wince of pain and wheezing as he struggled to breathe—it seemed like he was steadily getting paler, too. When he came out of it, though, his expression was dark again. “It seems… She and I really do die in every timeline…”

Any lightness Sougo had felt over the joke faded immediately. “… What?”

Grimness flitted across Black’s face. “… Your time… Is the only other one we’ve found… Where… Both versions of us were still alive…”

Cold horror stuck through Sougo’s heart, and his arms clenched more tightly around Black’s shoulders. “… No…” He shook his head, trying to reject the idea. But even if Black was a version of Geiz that could conceivably tell a falsehood, this would be too far—and given how his eyes were unfocused and every breath seemed to hurt, it was unlikely he had the strength to even make something up at all. So instead, Sougo gritted his teeth and hissed, “No… That’s not going to…” He shook Black slightly, once, “I won’t let that happen!” His voice was breaking, but he needed to say it aloud—even if Black didn’t need to hear it, he did. “I’ll… I’ll protect them. I’ll protect them. I promise.”

Black was looking at him with a mix of awe and affection “I guess… Some things really do span timelines.” His voice sounded almost spent—he stopped to try and breathe again, then, “… You sound like him.”

There was a wistful edge in his voice that made guilt twist at Sougo’s chest. “… I’m sorry.” He whispered weakly. “I’m sorry I’m not him. I’m sorry I’m not your Sougo.”

Black rolled his eyes, even through his suffering. “You’re all like that, too…” He wheezed, then sputtered, coughing up more blood. His arm came up, grabbing the back of Sougo’s neck. “… Look at me, kid… Look at me…” When he was apparently satisfied that he had Sougo’s attention, he continued just as hoarsely, “… We made a promise, all three of us… We were going to make a new future…” He reaffirmed his hold on Sougo’s head—and watching his face, the boy realised there were tears forming in his eyes at last, “… I was supposed to protect it…” Black closed his eyes against some bad memory. “… I failed.” He began to retch again, splattering more blood—it sounded like he was almost choking on it. But he pulled Sougo down further to make sure the remains of his voice could be heard. “Stop… Pendulum… We swore that if we couldn’t save our timeline… We would save the others… But they still… Maybe with all three of you…” Black trailed off, losing focus. His eyes drifted away from Sougo’s face, towards the sky. “… It’s… Not even real…” He murmured. “… Can’t even… Die under… A real sky…” Sougo glanced up, blinking at the colour expanse above them—slightly too perfect for reality.

He noticed immediately when the pressure of Black’s hand vanished from his neck, even before he heard the soft thump of it hitting the ground. Snapping his head back down so fast he hurt himself, he saw that the man’s eyes had closed, tears still pooled at the corners, blood still smeared around his mouth.

Sougo’s heart skipped a few beats. “G… Geiz…? Geiz!” He shook Black again, but there was no response—the man’s arm merely flopped limply. “Geiz!” With his free hand, he fumbled about looking for a pulse on Black’s neck—when he couldn’t find one, he just resorted to trying to pull the man’s head back up. “No, no… Wake up… Please wake up…!” But Black’s head merely fell loosely back against his arm again. “… Geiz…” Sougo’s own head dropped down onto the man’s chest, his shoulders shaking.

Suddenly, Black’s body felt lighter in his arms. His head popped back up, and he realised that the man was literally fading away, vanishing into golden light.

_If we fall, we simply disappear._

“No!” He tried to cling tighter, to pull Black into his chest, even as the light particles dissipated through his very fingers, like he could hold the man together by sheer force and pressure. “No…!”

But in the end, all he was left holding were a Ziku Driver and Geiz’s Ride Watch.

He sat there for a long time, just staring down at them. Then he heard a sound—a buzzing, like electricity, and light shone from the cave mouth somewhere above him.

The portal. Home. Geiz. Tsukuyomi. **His** Geiz and Tsukuyomi. More than anything, he wanted to see them, especially Geiz—desperate for the reassurance, not just from the other Rider’s dependable nature, but from the other boy simply being **there**. It was a need that got stronger when his hands tightened unconsciously he felt the cold surfaces of the items he held.

But it also meant… White. Gray. The other Tsukuyomi and… Himself. How was he supposed to look at them after this?

Then the portal buzzed again, and the light flickered. He looked down at the Geiz Ride Watch in his hand, and the yellow eyes stared back at him—expectantly. So slowly, lethargically, he dragged himself up.

Somehow, he made it in time.

* * *

He careened forward through the blue light—and crashed headfirst into the carpet of the shop’s dining room.

“Sougo!” A familiar voice rang somewhere to his left, he thought, and he saw white move in the corner of his eye. Tsukuyomi. “Sougo, are you alright?” He was spared from trying to answer when there was another muffled voice from somewhere else. “Shoot, your uncle. Hang on.” Her footsteps moved away. Finally, he managed to raise his head, peering around. He was indeed kneeling on the floor of the dining room, and could hear Tsukuyomi speaking faintly through the wall of another room, the crackling of the portal still behind him. But he wasn’t alone.

Gray stood nearby, looking down at him with his brows knit together in a concerned frown. The man’s eyes moved from him to the wall behind him, at the portal. Looking for someone who wasn’t coming.

Fumbling with the items in his hold, grateful for Tsukuyomi being in the other room, Sougo held both the Watch and the Driver out to his other self.

He saw the instant it the realisation hit in Gray’s eyes, the way they widened in horror. Slowly, the man reached over and took the equipment from him, immediately slipping back a few paces, toward the corner, to cradle both things to his chest tightly, angling his body so that they were hidden from view.

Tsukuyomi returned then, and he heard her kneel beside him, felt her hand touch his shoulder. “Sougo?” She sounded even more concerned and confused than before, probably because of the way he was still kneeling on the floor, staring down at the carpet. There was a long silence when he didn’t answer. Then he heard her shift slightly beside him. “… Wait… Where’s…?”

There was a loud crack of breaking plaster.

He heard Tsukuyomi’s hair whip around, and raised his own head just enough to see that Gray had punched the wall hard enough to make a hole in it. “… Black didn’t make it.” The words were a cross between a whisper and a growl. Tsukuyomi gasped softly, her hand tightening on Sougo’s shoulder, squeezing it.

Sougo, meanwhile, fought to keep his breathing as even as possible—which was difficult with Gray standing just a few paces away, staring down at the Watch and Driver held against his chest, fist still sunk into the wall; though his face was hidden, Sougo could sense the grief radiating from him in unbearable waves.

He knew how **he** felt about even the **concept** of losing Geiz **now**. For versions of them that had known each other for years, the real thing had to be worse than agony.

Which reminded him of the desperate, aching need that was still tugging at his chest. He turned his head as far as he dared toward Tsukuyomi. He didn’t know what state his face was in, but he definitely didn’t have the strength to recount to her what had transpired in the Swing Dimension. So instead, he tilted his head just enough that she would know he was talking to her, and mumbled, “Tsukuyomi… Where’s-”

“Zi-O!” He had never been so glad and relieved to hear those surly tones, and his head snapped around immediately to look for the source. Geiz had appeared in the doorway, his expression a mixture of irritation and concern as he started toward them.“Oi! What the hell were you thinking, diving at a portal like that?! Idiot.” His voice was intense as always, but the words didn’t sound the least bit angry, despite the slight annoyance on the other Rider’s face.

But Sougo didn’t care either way.

Without hesitation, the moment Geiz was in range, he dove forward and threw his arms around the other boy’s torso, burying his face in his chest. Geiz very nearly fell over, but managed to catch himself with his knee, settling into a kneel; there was something like whispering above him, and he felt the vibrations of Geiz gesticulating rather aggressively. But then he turned his head a bit and the even beating of Geiz’s heart—as strong and steadfast as he was—pounded loud against his ear. Because it was steady and real, and because Geiz was warm and solid in his arms—not fading away into cold nothing—something inside Sougo snapped.

The tears he hadn't realised he’d been holding in overflowed, followed by loud sobs that shook the entirety of his thin frame; his hands clenched, grabbing fistfuls of the back of the other boy’s shirt as he tried to pull closer, to reassure himself that **his** Geiz, at least, wasn’t going to disappear. He felt Geiz freeze—then, after a long moment filled only with his pitiful bawling, an arm wrapped gently around his shoulders, just a little hesitantly, like Geiz wasn’t sure he was doing it right. Another hand, he assumed it was Tsukuyomi’s, pressed softly against his back, rubbing it comfortingly.

Sougo didn’t know how long they stayed on the floor in a strange tangle, but at some point, he began to relax, and the exhaustion from the ordeal caught up with him. Eventually, he managed to weep himself to sleep, lulled by the unwavering rhythm of Geiz’s heart and Tsukuyomi’s hand on his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Geiz is confused by hugs. It's not his fault. He's doing his best, okay?  
> (He's obviously one of those people who gets hugged and is like 'is this an attack? Am I being attacked?')


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Events, like the pendulum of a clock have swung forward and backward, but after all, man, like the hands, has gone steadily on.  
> - _Robert G. Ingersoll_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... Disappointment with certain choices in the show aside, I managed to finish the next chapter! Yay!

Sougo woke to the familiar ceiling of his room. The next thing he noticed was that his arms were no longer wrapped around a solid person, but what seemed to be an empty piece of cloth. It still smelled like Geiz (through the newly budding panic, it passingly occurred to him that if he ever said that out loud, the other boy’s head would likely explode from embarrassment), but definitely was not the living, breathing human he’d fallen asleep holding on to. He sat up so quickly he made himself dizzy, scrambling about to try and get his bearings. The thing he’d been left holding was Geiz’s shirt, handfuls of it still balled up in his fists, but a frantic search for its owner lead to nothing.

He was nearing further hysterics when a voice interrupted him. “Sougo! You’re awake!” His head snapped around to find Tsukuyomi getting up from a chair in the corner, coming over to stand beside the bed and look worriedly at him. “How are you feeling?”

His voice caught in his throat for a moment, and he opened and closed his mouth a few times before he got it out. Holding up the shirt, he managed to squeak out, “Geiz…?”

She smiled. “It’s okay. Your uncle just wanted him to help with fixing the wall, and, well…” She laughed outright at the memory, “You wouldn’t let go.” She sat down on the foot of the bed. “He actually only just left a minute ago.” Relief washed over him. Looking about more carefully, he noticed the ruffled sheets by the head of the bed, and reached out to feel them—like Tsukuyomi had said, the spot was still warm.

Which made another thought occur to him. “… How long was I…?”

Tsukuyomi blinked. “Asleep? Uh…” She glanced around, finally finding the small clock on his dresser, “About four and a half hours.”

“And… You two were here for all of that?” He didn’t mean for a pleading edge to enter his voice, but it snuck in regardless.

“Well… I mean, you wouldn’t let go of Geiz even after you fell asleep, but…” Her expression became somber, and she swallowed. “… It was pretty clear when you were the only one who came through, but… Gray said that… That Black is…” His gaze fell to his lap, hands clenching again. She trailed off, sighing softly. “Geiz and I have lost people before. We’ve seen death.” She continued finally, “But it’s new to you. I… **We** were worried about you.” Squaring her shoulders, she stood, taking a deep breath and giving him a very earnest look. “Sougo. If you want, or… Or need, to talk about what happened in there… You can talk to us. Either of us. If or when you’re ready.” She gave him a hard look to make certain he’d heard her, then fell back a step, relaxing. “Come on, then. Your uncle was worrying you’d be hungry when you woke up three hours ago.”

* * *

They arrived downstairs to find Junichiro finishing up patching the hole Gray had punched in the wall while Geiz (who was wearing a new shirt—and hilariously still had that collar-thing on) stood by and looked slightly more sour than usual. Both of them looked up when the other two came in—Geiz shot a rather accusatory look at Tsukuyomi, at which she blinked only semi-innocently, which made Sougo wonder if she’d dumped the job of helping his uncle on him to avoid the lecture about being careful indoors Junichiro seemed to be in the middle of.

Then they both noticed him.

“Sougo!” Junichiro cried excitedly, literally tossing the tools he was holding to Geiz—who only barely managed to catch them and deposit them on the table—and rushing over to hug Sougo tightly. “You’re awake!” Then jubilation gave way to concern. “Are you alright? You were pretty upset…”

In a panic, Sougo looked over at Tsukuyomi, who had an apologetic expression. Seemed she’d forgotten to warn him his uncle had seen him crying. “I… Uh…” He searched desperately for words. He could hardly tell the people who **did** know the situation what had happened—he had no clue what he was going to say to his uncle. “… I have a cold.” From the corners of his eyes, he saw both Tsukuyomi and Geiz reacting to the sheer lameness of the excuse.

Junichiro stared at him blankly for a moment, and Sougo feared for a second he’d finally found the dumb excuse his uncle wouldn’t misinterpret or accept—but then, “Ah, that explains it!” Junichiro exclaimed, and Sougo let out the breath he’d been holding. “No wonder you had to sleep so much! Can make your head a little weird, too.” Nodding thoughtfully, he clapped Sougo on the arms. “Well! If you’re feeling up to it, I have a big lunch prepared. So let me know.” Finally releasing his nephew, he turned and gathered up the tools. “I’ll put these away.” With a big grin, he hurried out.

Leaving an awkward silence in his wake.

Uncharacteristically, it was Geiz who broke it. “Are you… How do you…” The other boy turned away slightly, reaching up to scratch the back of his neck like he sometimes did when embarrassed. “Er… Well… Better?” There was a pause, then, in a hurried mutter, “… Not that I care.”

Sougo tried to look at him. He did. But every time his eyes reached the other Rider’s face, all he could see was Black’s still features as they vanished into light. He couldn’t think of anything to say, either.

How were you supposed to explain to someone that the reason you cried into their chest and clung to them for four and a half hours, even after falling asleep, was that you’d watched an alternate version of them die in your arms in a pocket dimension?

Especially when that someone was **Geiz** , the reigning champion of emotionally awkward.

So instead, he nodded vaguely, then asked, “Where are… Those two?” He didn’t even have the nerve to say their names.

Fortunately, Tsukuyomi understood. “Gray explained he could fix your Driver, but that he needed some materials from their Time Mazines. White needed the same to start working on something to counteract the bomb.” She crossed over to the table and sat down. “There was a large tremor in the ground while you were in the Swing Dimension, and the news is reporting weird sounds and black fog just outside of town to the southwest. It seems Pendulum’s plans are already well in motion.” With a sigh, she leaned on the table. “I just hope we really can stop her…” Geiz grunted something in agreement.

Sougo looked between them quietly for a moment, though his gaze still couldn’t quite reach Geiz’s face. “… We will.” He mumbled softly. “I promise.”

And not just to them.

* * *

“… This wasn’t supposed to happen.” Gray sat on a large stone just inside the mouth of the cave, staring at the red and yellow Ride Watch in his hand. “You were supposed to watch over me until the end.” His arm trembled, his fingers tightening. “Remember? You were…” He bit his lip hard beneath the mask, head bowing. “… You… **You** were supposed to outlive **me** …” His fist slammed down on the the other big rock in front of him that he’d been using as a table, nearly knocking the other Driver and Ride Watch he’d placed there to the ground. “You were… Supposed to… Who said you could die first?”

_I need permission for that?_ Asked a shadow behind his shoulder, in a dead man’s voice.

“ **You** promised to keep an eye on me,” He snapped back, then, “… Are you haunting me?”

_I like to think I’ve got better things to do in death than follow you around_. Remarked the voice. _… We made another promise, too._

“I never wanted to you to die for this. Why do you have to take everything so seriously? That’s why I always had to watch you, too.”

_I never liked doing what you wanted_. _And you promised to never look into my future_.

“That’s not funny. You know what I meant.”

There was a coldness at his back. _… There was no future of ours that I didn’t protect, where I didn’t protect you_. _That was my part of our agreement_. … _Do yours._

Silence.

Slowly, Gray straightened and found his way to his feet, stepping back to stare at the curtains of darkness on the wall behind him. “… You’re in my head.” He said softly, gaze travelling down to the Ride Watch in his hand, speaking to nothing more than a copy, conjured from memories he couldn’t let go of.

His imaginary ghost didn’t answer.

“… He knew the risks.” He jumped slightly, turning to see that White had come over, watching him from a few paces away. Despite the carefully measured tranquility in her voice, her eyes were weary and mournful. “All three of us did.”

“… I should have been with him.”

“And done what? Not even you can reset our time now.” She walked over to stand beside him. “We need to get to work on stopping Pendulum; finish the mission he gave his life for.”

“I know.” He frowned deeply down at the Ride Watch. “… We don’t even have time to mourn him properly.”

She sighed sorrowfully, folding her arms and looking away slightly. “Knowing him… He wouldn’t want us to.” There was another breadth of silence.

Then Gray sighed as well, reaching up and tucking the Ride Watch into his coat’s breast pocket, finally turning to face her. “… How’s it coming, then?”

She unfolded her arms, turning back as well. “I think I almost have it. I had to take the Mazines almost completely apart, though. The key seems to be their main core, probably because of the way it keeps them constant and enables them to move through time.” She frowned then. “But we’ve only got three, and that smog showing up in the south…”

“I know. Lost time.”

She nodded in affirmation. “So we need to reformat at least one of the cores into a protective field to get through that—since even the suits don’t hold up—though two would probably be a safer bet.” She turned on her heel to pace back towards the dismantled machines. “Which would leave us with only one rigged up to stop the explosion. One chance to prevent disaster.”

“And if we fail, it’s all over…” He touched the outline of the Ride Watch in his pocket. “… But we have to try.”

“Right.” She said. “We have to try.” Unfolding her arms, she reached over and gave his elbow a gentle squeeze. “I’ll get done with the assembly. You repair that Driver. Then we finish this.” She whispered. “For him.”

* * *

“Who do you think they are?” Geiz looked over his shoulder to find Tsukuyomi in the doorway of the shop.

“Who?”

“You know who I mean. Those three.” She came over at sat down beside him on the bench.

“… I don’t know.” They were both silent for a moment. “… Where’s Zi-O?”

“Hiding from his uncle. Junichiro-san has really taken the ‘cold’ thing to heart.” She waited to see if he would say anything else, but he didn’t. “… When he got out of there, he went straight for you.”

He shifted uncomfortably. “What’s your point?”

“Don’t you think it’s odd? These three just show up and know everything about us? They have Time Mazines, one of them can even fix Ride Watches?” He continued to say nothing. “Sougo must have watched Black die in there, and when he got out, the first thing did was latch onto you.” He stood up sharply, walking a few paces away. She rose as well. “The most logical explanation is-”

“Don’t say it!” He whirled around, throwing up a hand to stop her. “Don’t… Don’t say it.” She stared at him in confusion. He looked self conscious for a moment, then turned away again, folding his arms even tighter. “… That future can’t happen anymore…” His gaze shifted to the horizon. “And all those others… If the three of them are… What… What if…” She heard him swallow—then he turned back to look at her, expression drawn with nothing less than terror and agony. “… What if Pendulum destroyed all the futures where we don’t have to…” He trailed off.

Oh. She hadn’t thought of that. But it made sense that Geiz would.

Slowly, she made her way over to stand beside him. “There’s… There’s a lot of possibilities. She… She can’t have gotten all of them.” She reached over and set a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. “We’ll find a way. I’m certain of it.”

* * *

“I’m done.” Gray looked up to find White beside him, cradling three gadgets in her arms, each one centred around a glowing orb about the size of a child’s fist that seemed to glitch and alter the air around them. Two were set into complex circuitboards like gems in medallions, while the third sat at the centre of a cluster of wires and mechanical parts. “Two shields and one… Diffuser?” She gave him a short glare when he raised his eyebrow at the name. “Oh? And are you finished yet?”

He held up the Watch and Driver, both completely repaired. “Of course.” He tucked them inside his jacket and rose. “All repaired. It’s completely functional again.” He looked at the things she held. “You sure that’s not a hairball of wires?”

“Very funny.” She handed him one of the circuitboards—the shields. “These two,” She held up the other briefly, “I used the cores from our Mazines’ for.”

“Then the… ‘Diffuser,’ is…” He did his best not to chuckle at the name. Easier because of the reminder of just who that Time Mazine belonged to.

“… Yes…” He could tell she was biting her lip under her scarf. “… That’s his.” His gaze snapped up to her face. “I thought… It felt a little like closure. Payback for her taking him away.”

He didn’t get the chance to answer, because another tremor swept through the area, forcing them both to grab onto the rock face to stay on their feet until it past. “Those are getting worse,” He grunted. “Looks like it’s time to move.” He stuffed the shield into his pocket while she stowed the other one and her Diffuser. “Come on. Let’s go save time itself.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it seems like White finished that thing really quickly, but... Well, she was almost done, I guess. Maybe she's just that good?  
> ... Please bear w/ me?


End file.
